In which She Asks Him to Tell Her again
by Black Birch
Summary: Nothing lasts forever. No matter how much you want it to, time runs out and all you are left with are memories - kakasaku


**Disclaimer:** I do not own "Naruto". The manga belongs to Masashi Kishimoto.

* * *

><p><strong>In which She Asks Him to Tell Her again<strong>

One-shot

* * *

><p>"Tell me again, Kakashi." Her voice was soft, close to a barely there whisper.<p>

The old man smiled, leaning to rest his arms on her bed. His hand slid over the pale sheets, gently taking a hold of her fragile looking fingers. "You were twenty-four and I was thirty-eight when we first fell in love, my dear." The now white haired man brought her hand to his lips before he continued. "You had recently come back from Suna and your skin was the colour of caramel. Your hair was longer than I remembered it to be. You were absolutely stunning." He enjoyed the way her cheeks flushed for a moment and how a smile stretched her lips, bringing out the lines that told her age. "Later I realized I had fallen for you right then. I couldn't take my eyes off of you that night. Everyone was thrilled to see you home again, but no one knew that I was the one whose heart was swelling."

"Tell me more," she encouraged him, as her fingers briefly closed harder around his. "Tell me everything."

He took a moment to look at her, to really take her in, just like he had uncountable times in the past. Nothing was said. All that could be heard was the soft sound of their breathing and the beeping of a machine in the background.

"You rejoined our team. Even Sai showed his happiness then and you blushed at the sight of his sincere smile. I'll never forget that moment. We started spending more time together as a group and it didn't take long before the two of us started ending up alone together. In the beginning, it was usually because Sai or Naruto had business with ANBU or took off like Naruto had with Sasuke in the past, but soon we decided to spend moments together, just the two of us." Kakashi smiled at the many memories that rushed through his mind and couldn't help it as a small sign of moisture could be spotted in the corner of his dark eye.

"You kissed me five months later, the day before my birthday. I was speechless. I couldn't form a thought, as my heart and mind were racing, but I knew I would never feel that way if given a kiss by someone else. I wanted you. You were the one. We kissed many times after that night and soon you were in my bed, next to me where you belonged and where I would make sure you always stayed."

Her spring green eyes reflected her emotions, as she stared back at him from where she rested on the bed. Though her hair had withered and lost its former tinge, her orbs had stayed the same.

"What happened next?" She knew the answer to the question as well as he did, but just like him, she couldn't get enough of the story.

"I asked you to be my wife and you said no," his smile was almost boyish, as he shook his head, which was funny considering his age, "but then you asked me to be your husband and I said yes. We got married in the spring. You didn't want to at first. You said it would be cliché considering the colour of your hair, but I convinced you otherwise, didn't I?"

"Yes, you did." Her laugh was a bright as ever, warming his heart despite the anguish it was in.

"We bought a house together in the civilian part of town, close to where you grew up. Life went on and soon your stomach was starting to grow. You've never been as beautiful as when you carried our children, Sakura." The couple in the sterile room grew sentimental for a moment and the man leaned closer to his wife, as she pulled at his hand. A small kiss was shared between the two, before Kakashi leaned back into his seat. "Sakumo was born right after Akemi entered the academy. It was one of the happiest periods of my life." The oldest Hatake stopped for a moment. His wife saw him swallow, before he tightened the grip he held on to her with. "We lost our third child that winter. Our second daughter was never born. We would have named her Hana, after your grandmother." A small and bittersweet smile formed on his lips. "Two and a half years after that day, Takeo was born and our family was complete."

The beeping in the background escalated and Kakashi shot up from his seat.

"Wait," Sakura uttered, pulling him back to the chair. "It's okay, I was just thinking about how happy I am. That's all. Sit down, please. The nurses would come running if I was in any danger."

"I just want to make sure-"

"Always so worried, Kakashi." Sakura smiled. "I've worked with medicine for about fifty years. I know what I'm talking about. Those brats out there know nothing in comparison to me."

"You sound just like she did," Kakashi teased.

"Oh, shut up, you, and finish the story."

They both smiled. "Before we knew it, they were grown up. Akemi made jounin and then she met Gaara's son." Sakura smiled at her husband's bitter tone.

"Hey, he is a good man and the father of our first grandchild. Don't talk about him that way."

The white haired man sighed, knowing the woman he loved was right. "Takeo had to our delight inherited your chakra control and if my senses aren't tricking me, he is currently treating someone two floors down."

"That is correct, continue."

"Bossy as ever. How will I make it without you?" Kakashi watched as her green orbs watered, hating the fact that his own mimicked hers. He ignored the stinging sensation, knowing Sakura didn't like it when he brought up the inevitable. "Sakumo joined ANBU and soon he brought home Miyu." Kakashi laughed then, slowly shaking his head. "Naruto was furious when he learned the two were engaged. He told Sakumo he was an ungrateful brat who would regret crossing him and by crossing him, I can only assume he meant defiling his little girl or well, it was how he put it. I've never laughed as hard as I did that day, when Hinata got up from the dining table and smacked her husband on the back of his head. I didn't know she had it in her."

"Tell me more."

"We grew old. We had grandchildren, four of them so far and one more on the way. You promised to love me for the rest of your life, in sickness and in health, and you have. You still do. You've made me happier than I could have ever imagined and I can only hope I have managed to do the same."

"You are everything to me, Kakashi." The man leaned forward to kiss her. He didn't know what else to do.

"Hey, hey, hey, what is this?" The voice was teasing, but slightly appalled. Sakura could tell, after all, he was her son.

The pale haired woman placed her hand on her husband's wrinkled cheek, encouraging him to not break the sign of their love.

"Seriously, please. Could you two stop it? You're… old."

"So are you, my boy. Being thirty doesn't exactly make you a spring chicken."

The silver haired doctor huffed, as he closed the door behind himself. "I am twenty-eight. Jeez, dad, turning senile already?"

The retired jounin shrugged, turning to look at his wife. She was beaming.

"How are you doing, mom?"

"I'm good, sweetheart. There's no need to worry."

Takeo looked skeptical. "Dad?" he questioned.

"Her heart rate jumped a few minutes ago."

"Kakashi," the woman hissed, battering her husband on the arm. She hadn't changed.

"I just want you to be all right, Sakura." The husband sighed.

"Well, that shouldn't be too serious, but you shouldn't lie about things like that, mom. You're not well," he accused her, looking at the monitor by her bed.

"What are you talking about? There's no need to worry about me."

"If you say so," her son muttered, as he scribbled on her chart, knowing it would tick his mother off.

Kakashi cleared his throat, not wanting his son to leave him with a fuming and  
>for-her-age-still-scarily-strong woman. "When will your brother and sister come to visit?"<p>

"We were thinking about coming here around seven. We'll bring some food and then everyone can just hang out."

"No, you don't need to do that, honey. And Akemi really shouldn't. She needs to be at home, putting her feet up-"

"Mom, I'm also a doctor if you haven't forgotten about that, so I know what is best for my sister and you too for that matter. Everyone and then I mean everyone, sons and daughters both biological and in law ones will be here and don't forget about the grandkids."

Sakura frowned, but the mention of her children's offspring coming to visit soon had a bright smile painting her lips.

"See, it's already working wonders on you," her son teased. The grin on his face fell as soon as a plastic cup hit the side of his head. "Mom, watch it."

"Don't take that tone with me. I'm the one who gave birth to you and taught you everything you know. I still have a thing or two to show you and if you want me to, you better behave."

"Yes, mother." Kakashi chuckled as his son used the tone of defeat.

"And when are you and Aiko having children?"

"Not again, mom. For the last time, please, just drop it. We will get to that part when we feel we are ready for it." The young man raised an eyebrow, as a snort escaped his father, whose face his own resembled. "What?" the son asked, crossing his arms.

"Son, the best things in life aren't planned, they just happened."

"Hah, are you saying that Akemi was an accident?" The silver haired man look thrilled by the potential teasing material to use on his sister.

"Yes," the older man answered, ignoring the sound of his wife's angered voice. "She was as much of an accident as your brother and you were." Roaring laughter escaped the man, followed by his wife's light giggling. "Don't worry, son. Accidents do happened, but you three happened to be very welcomed ones and I can honestly not say that any of you were mishaps, as both Sakura and I knew what might come when throwing precaution out the window." Kakashi watched as his son seemed to return to his more collected self and smiled in warning of what was to come before he spoke. "And besides, it wasn't like we would have been completely helpless after a round of unprotected, possibly baby-making sex. Your mother most likely knows more than one jutsu to take care of-"

"Dad, dad, dad! Stop it!" The doctor looked horrified, as he covered his ears. "That's gross. I don't want to hear about it. It was bad enough last Christmas when I overheard you and Genma sharing tips."

"Well, gross was what made you, Takeo. Don't forget that," his father told him, adding a wink at the end.

The man glared at his father before he walked over to his overjoyed mother and plated a soft kiss on her forehead. "I'll see you later, okay?" he mumbled. Sakura nodded, a smile painting her lips as she watched her son walk over to give his father a hug.

"Bye," he told them before he walked out the room.

A small silence stretched in the room, before Kakashi got up from his chair, gesturing for his wife to make room for him next to her on her bed. She welcomed him with a smile and settled against his side.

"They grow up so fast." Kakashi hummed in agreement, letting his hand run through her hair. "I'll miss them."

The silver haired man leaned to press his lips against the top of her head. "Don't say that. Don't even think about it," he whispered, glad that the softness of her locks muffled the tremble in his voice.

"I'll miss you."

"I'll miss you, too."

He hugged her then, as breathy sobs started to shake her light frame. He kissed her skin, pressing his lips to every inch his mouth could reach, as he told her that everything would be all right. There was nothing to be afraid of. He asked her to wait for him, because he would be there. Nothing would keep them apart.

As her breathing calmed and her ragged sobs grew fewer, Sakura spoke, "Tell me again, Kakashi," she whispered, pressing a kiss to his neck. The woman inhaled deeply. She had always loved the way he smelled.

"I love you, Sakura."

The slowly fading woman closed her eyes, hugging her husband as tight as she could manage. Despite the story of their lives that he had just shared with her, those three words were all she needed to hear.


End file.
